A lot of recent spotlight has been put on Emperor Penguins in the last couple decades. You might have seen March of the Penguins or you might just have learned/read about them during library time in Elementary School- I did both- but they are intriguing birds. There are some random facts (and reflections) about E. penguins that I think are especially wonderful and I would like to share with you all.
E. penguins meet their yearly mate in the spring. They court, etc. and then, when the weather seems to be getting colder and more harsh (ie june for the South Pole), they all head further south... into the storm. Once they get to a good spot on a high ice cliff, iceberg or something similar where there is really no resistance from the wind. The ladies get to laying their one egg for the year (almost always ONLY one) and then they leave to go fishing in the north while the guys sit in a huddle with the eggs on their feet (rather than nesting) and take turns being on the outside, shielding everyone from the cold- the only time they actually move during these couple months is when they take turns shielding the group! "Let's hear it for the boys!" This all is a fairly epic ordeal- they are all just sitting there waiting for the girls to get back... and they loose 40% of their body weight because of it! What an amazing sacrifice to make!
So ladies are gone until the ice begins to break up and then they swim and walk back to their mate to bring a little regurgitated food and relieve the guys of their duties. Hopefully their egg has hatched and their biological fitness is increased (thanks, professors, for instilling that- you should be proud). One question I always have is this: Do the guys miss their girls while they are away? or is it just a lifeline of food? Probably more the second because, as they have mixed their DNA, they are both tied to the survival of this baby and they need each other to ensure and increased fitness but sometimes, I would like to think a little bit of both. Think of how that moment when they hear the call of their mate would bring joy. Maybe you don't think that penguins can feel such things but I think that all of creation can experience this God feeling and this is one of those times. Think of how, if you were sitting in the cold winter, giving your warmth to a heat-sucking egg that needs your body heat to survive, how this moment would be what gets your through the really long and almost all dark winter.
What a joy... and that is one thing that I have been experiencing as well. Can I be a penguin in this regard? Anticipation can get you far when you are waiting a long time for this wonderful moment to occur. But unlike our cute penguin friends, life is full of color and warmth in between those points in time and we don't have too sit in the cold dark- as long and we are willing to lift up our heads.
I pray that you are able to find a balance between waiting with penguin anticipation for your mountain top moments of joy as well as seeking the color and beauty in the journey between. Don't forget to enjoy each moment- don't regret turning the page before the words have been written.
